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just wondering if any fetts out there have encountered any problems with your rifle in public.have you ever been stopped or warned by law enforcement/mall security about your rifle?

im planning to have my fett ready for this years halloween parade in NYC.i think it would be a wonderfull place to debut mt fett.the parade will be within walking distance from my apartment.im positive after september 11th law enforcement isnt going to care for my ESB rifle in public...

It is a hit or miss depending on the event staff and your local police department. At Dragon Con we were told REPEATEDLY that we could not have our blasters out during the parade. That the police would beat us with canes if we did.

What happened 2 seconds into the parade? Every blaster was out, the crowds were chearing, the police were running up for pictures with us, the staff loved us. Go fig.

Rewind to Atlanta Comic Con. Cop practically flew through the air to get to me about a replica weapon. When he found out it was fake he just found something else to nail me on, my helmet. Something about an adults with masks rule. It took the con organizer to get him to back down.

All I can say is to check with the organizers. Just remember if you say "Can I carry my gun?" they will always say no. I always word it as, "I have a toy ray pistol as a part of my costume, is that ok?" Seems to hit the PC nerve much softer.

It's really hit or miss. As jedireject said we were told for weeks that there would be very strict rules about weapons at Dragon Con but just as in years past we carried them throughout the weekend with no problems. I've been to a few malls that wouldn't allow you to wear helmets inside(sucked) so I didn't even try to take the rifle. You really have to use your own best judgement.

Me and friends were stopped once when we were playing with toy guns in a parking lot, they were purple flint lock plastic suction cup guns from the stupid dollar store. Then there was the time I went to the Wizards world comic con, I had my real Webley with me, no one said a thing about it. I would think that if it is a holiday or a well known event, that it would be accepted that you are carrying around part of a costume. Now, if you decided to get dressed up one day for a parade of your own in the middle of January I would expect law enforcement doing a double take right before they tried to apprehend you

I've been to Michigan . . . I've had a police escort out of Detroit actually . . . those cops were probably serious! hehehe

Bottom line is, I think a little common sense goes a long way as said above. If you're at a con or a halloween party, you're probably going to be okay. But, don't go driving down to DragonCon with your webley sitting on the seat next to you and just don't go brandishing it anywhere where it's out of place. You have to remember, that there are people that won't have a clue who you are, and they'll be scared. I mean, all of us would just EXPECT to see a stormtrooper with a gun. Seeing one without is just wrong. But, if you've never seen one before AND this person/thing is coming at you with a gun, there's probably going to be trouble! hehe

I've never had a problem here in Vegas with the gun either. Just use common sense. And it's best if you're with a group of other costumers, sort of becomes a big package and guns are part of it. If you're by yourself and you need to take it from point A to point B it's best to cover it with something.

At SDCC02 I carried it to and from the con in a large con bag. They peace-tied the guns to our costumes there but that was another heightened security deal. The sec. officer that grabbed me was nice and allowed me to tell him how I'd like it tied so that I could still carry it at the waist properly. Kim wasn't so lucky with her Zam rifle though.

Personally I would go with the suggestion of noting to the organizers or officials that you have a ray gun and that it's part of your costume. Emphasize that it's plastic and could never work. Doesn't matter that it looks lethal, it's still the truth

Bottom line, use common sense. If you're by yourself and carrying a large menacing rifle, especially with a scope!, be prepared to raise some eyebrows.

Holding of replica guns in public to be banned
9:23pm Wednesday, 08th January 2003

The Home Secretary has announced the carrying of replica guns and air weapons in public will be banned.

David Blunkett says legislation will be introduced to ban anyone carrying a replica or air weapon "in a public place without a good reason".

The age limit for acquiring and using an air weapon without adult supervision will be increased from 14 to 17, Mr Blunkett said.

The Home Office said the ban would cover anything that looked like a firearm, not just those capable of conversion to live ammunition.

In theory that could see people being arrested for carrying a child's toy or a gun-shaped cigarette lighter if they did not have a "reasonable excuse".

A Home Office spokeswoman said arrests would be down to police officers using their discretion.

The spokeswoman said: "It's about anything that can be mistaken for a firearm. It would come down to the proper use of police officer or judicial discretion and the laws will have to be implemented sensibly by police.

"If someone is waving a cigarette lighter shaped like a firearm at police officers then that is very different from it being used to light a cigarette in a pub."

The Home Office is also looking at a ban on the sale, manufacture and import of weapons, including certain models of Brocock, which can be readily converted to fire live ammunition.

In London, 75% of guns seized are converted imitations or converted blank firers.

Senior officers say many offences recorded as gun crime are carried out with replicas.

I left the orange plastic tips on my Jango Blasters and still Mall security made me put them away. I never pulled them out of the holsters in the first place. I had to hide them in my younger sons baby stroller and cover them up with a blanket. Thats what it exactly took to get them off my back! I guess a Fett really does look menacing and Bada&#36;&#36; because 3 guards approached me like I was going to cause trouble or something.

I've always felt on this to treat
your prop as if it was a real gun.
If I'm in costume and out in public , I carry it by its handle.
When transporting it by car I keep it in the trunk.

If I'm in my normal clothes I carry it by its barrel or stock.
Either way it is less provocative and less likely to be perceived that I'm ready to use it or that it is a real gun.
I have been lucky that any time I have worn it out in public
I have NEVER been hassled by police for carring it .
We of the So. Calif . Garrison have been out trooping
at the HUGE West Hollywood Halloween carnival
quite a few times and always been treated by the local PD
with open arms , and most of the time THEY would come up to us wanting to get pics of & with us.

A highlight for me was getting to be up on a motorcycle PD's bike IN FULL FETT !! I had my blaster out in one hand firing up over the front windshield .
Luckily for me a friend had his camera
and I got pics from the event
WHAT A RUSH !!

But remember non fans might think what your carrying is real.
If it is an organized outdoors event ask the organizer if its OK to bring your blasters.

Each year we do the city of hope children's cancer ward picnic
in Griffith park here in Los Angeles.
The leaders of the event ask us NOT to bring out blasters
because the event is held in a public park.
Besides the kids don't seem to care , and seeing them smile and laugh for one day to forget what they have to fight every other day is whats it all about.

I wore my Fett costume for the first time to the premiere of Episode I - TPM (the day AFTER the midnight showings). I got to the theater early in the afternoon, before the night crowds got there. A friend took pictures of me in front of the theater in different poses.

Then a security guard walked over (looked like Scatman Crothers) and told me that just to be safe, I should probably put the rifle back in the car. I understood, and hid the rifle away.

A couple hours later, right before the doors opened, after havind dozens of people take pictures, mock-fight, etc, the guard came back and smiled,

I was once doing an appearance for a blockbuster right after Ep 2 came out on video and I was with a Vader and 3 stormtroopers. When we walked over to the McDonalds next door for some food, someone must have thought we had reall guns because a cop came and just told us to be careful. Turns out one of his fellow officers is with the 501st and wears his stormtrooper armor to the station on Halloween, so he didnt really give us a hard time or anything.

Carrying a blaster (or for that matter any weapon look-a-like) is common sense.
As already posted here in the UK carrying anything that looks like a weapon could land you in the local nick or surrounded by armed police so you just have to be smart.
DON'T draw a blaster and point it at people.
DO check your ticket, often events print restrictions regarding weapons on the back.
IF you have to walk any real distance from your car/hotel to the event carry your weapons in a bag. DON'T go running around the streets with weapons drawn.
DO go up to security at the event and say "Just thought I'd let you know. I've got this toy gun, it isn't real and I can't hurt anyone with it" (You might think it's obvious but there's always one old woman that thinks its real!)
IF security want to peace-bond it to its holster, let them. At least you still get to carry it. Much better then having an empty holster!

That should about cover it.

Oh! And on a similar vein always remember to take your helmet off when going into a shop! Fett/Mandalore armour (and other such costumes) are intimidating and whilst many people are familiar with Star Wars, few shop owners would expect to see a character come through the door!

That is good advice, although I do not agree with the helmet one, you should not have to show your face to anyone you dont want to, they can ask you to leave, and thats fine. but I draw the line when people tell me how to dress, unless its the police or something.

That is good advice, although I do not agree with the helmet one, you should not have to show your face to anyone you dont want to, they can ask you to leave, and thats fine. but I draw the line when people tell me how to dress, unless its the police or something.

Many shops in the UK will not serve people who have helmets on. This is due to thieves wearing motorcycle helmets during robberies to hide their faces. Add to this the possability that your carrying a prop weapon and... listen out for the police sirens! It might not happen but I for one am not going to take the risk! People will see the gun and helmet before they realise it's a costume.

We did a pediatrics ward visit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center last weekend. The hospital is located inside a secure Army base in Washington D.C. Besides the concern of getting 10 civilians through the gate with their vehicles, I was really worried about weapons. It turned out that we had absolutely no problems. The gate guards and the hospital military staff were all very enthusiastic about the whole thing. Go figure.

Not exactly Star Wars related, but last Halloween me and the wife went out as Freddy vs Jason. I was Jason. I had a full costume on, made kids cry and all. The cops in my town KNEW it was me, and I even had a cop pull up and chit chat with us. He never said a word about the machete replica I had, nor my wife's (as Freddy Krueger) finger blades. They know me well enough in town to know I'm not going to be chopping up teenagers.... or do they? heh heh heh.
But I can see all your points. Just use common sense, is all. Granted, I went out on Halloween night, me, my wife, and our youngest daughter. If I walked around the town at night fully dressed as Jason say, in the middle of April, I might be stopped.

Here in Australia,we have some VERY strict gun laws since some loser shot up a bunch of ppl in Tasmania,so my ee-3 rotj barrel slides off the gun,and I cut off the trigger(makes my finger fit it there with the gloves on pretty well too).

If a cop seems like he's going to hassle me,I just hold out the gun in both hands in front of me,like I'm offering it up for inspection.That seems to chill 'em out.....and Aussie coppers are a trigger-happy bunch of lads and lasses,too.......
I use a home-made "orange blaze" plug sometimes,also.

I have a deaf buddie who carries a laminated card on him,when he's in costume,that says "This is a plastic toy,cannot fire,makes no noise,for costuming only"seems to work ok.

<<< FROM New Zealand...
Hi I work with firearms on occasion for films etc wether they are Deactivated props, or firing blank ammunition etc we ALWAYS make a point to ring our local Police headquarters and tell them exactly what we are doing and most importantly ask for an "EVENT NUMBER" which will reference you, your activites, your location and any other pertinant details
such as Firearms or drivers licences...
So if a freaky kook sees you and cries TERRORIST!!!!
to the police the police already know whats up and whos where doing what and why....Always make a note of who you talked to at the police station: The officers name, Badge number, date and time and of course most important : the event number.
This will help if an officer just approaches you randomly and not from a call out.
You can quickly produce credentials and look like a proffesional thoughtfull individual and avoid lots of silly sounding explanations.
Any call made from said freaked out kook to police will be duly noted and filed against this event number.
The individual caller will be placated and an officer will only be sent out if the occasion calls for it.
Procedure will differ in your own nations so investigate ahead of time so u know what the catch is.

This procedure i have described will be particularly pertinant in U.K for this new bill regarding carrying fake weapons (and therin certain exceptions)

And most certainly in the U.S (kick a towelhead for George dubya)

Remember... in any nation the average joe is irrationally terrified of guns and cant distinguish between a slide action or a revolver or for that matter a Blastech EE-3.
They see a black tube (like on a vacum cleaner) and s*** their pants.
Man fears what he does not understand, it is natural so it is in everybodies interest to inform and educate and show them all that we are not the kooks.